Post anchor plate



May 12, 1964 G. JOHNSON POST ANCHOR PLATE Filed Sept. 20, 1960 FIG-2 FIG-1 FIG-7 INVENTOR. GRADY JOHNSON WMMW ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,132,726 POST ANCHOR PLATE Grady Johnson, 5550 Linden Ava, Dayton 32, Ohio Filed Sept. 20, 196i), Ser. No. 57,283 1 Claim. (Cl. 189-29) This invention relates to anchoring posts placed or driven into the ground or earth for minimizing movement of the projecting part of the post in predetermined directions, and particularly to post anchor plates of simple construction which may be quickly applied to a post driven into the ground. This application is a continuation-in-part of my abandoned application, Serial No. 833,245, filed August 12, 1959.

Posts of both metal and wood often require some stabilizing to prevent shifting or movement thereof from their desired placed position, due either to shifting of the earth or ground surface under conditions of alternate freezing and thawing, or extreme wetting, or due to external unbalanced loads applied to the post in combination with changes in condition of the ground into which the post is set. One ordinary procedure in setting the post and for maintaining the post in desired rigid position (usually vertical) is to dig an enlarged hole, fill the hole to slightly below ground level with concrete or other hardenable plastic anchoring material, and to set the post in this material and maintain it in desired position until the anchoring material has hardened.

Obviously, the labor required to dig such enlarged holes and place the concrete or other anchoring material, as well as the cost of the anchoring material itself, represents a substantial cost factor. On the other hand, in a number of applications of posts, for example in line posts in a fencethose posts located intermediate corners in the fencing material supported and properly aligned between corners-such anchoring procedures are unnecessary and wasteful both of labor and material. But some anchoring member is required in these circumstances, capable of stabilizing the post properly, and yet also capable of simple and rapid application. A number of anchoring devices in the form of plates fastened to the below ground portion of a post, or driven into the ground in surrounding relation to the below ground part of the post have been proposed. However, in the case of those plates fastened to the post, they must be driven directly with the post, requiring substantial driving force in excess of the force normally required to drive the post itself into the ground, since the plate cannot move at all relative to the post.

A number of post anchor plates have been proposed which may be slipped about the post, without direct fastening to the post, and driven separately into the ground, if necessary, by means of a driving sleeve or the like which may be slipped over the post for the purpose of transmitting a driving force to the anchor plate. However, this type of anchor plate as known in the prior art must have an essentially tight fit about the post in order to accomplish its purpose, otherwise the post may move within the confines of the holding parts of the anchor plate. As a result, such plates necessarily must be manufactured to rather close tolerances, and, as well known, this results in higher manufacturing cost necessary to maintain such tolerances in parts of the anchor plates.

The present invention relates to the last-mentioned type of anchor plate, and has for its primary object the provision of an improved anchor plate of simple and inexpensive construction, easily mass produced, and which will engage tightly with the below ground portion of the driven post when the plate is driven into the ground, to maintain accurate positioning of the post.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a 3,132,726 Patented May 12, 1964 post anchor plate wherein the entire plate structure is formed from a unitary piece of sheet metal or the like having a central portion formed to engage around approximately one-half the circumference of the post and having a central strap portion formed therefrom complementary to such central portion for embracing the post, and wherein the lower end of the anchor. plate in its operative position is tapered toward the post, in the general configuration of an arrow-head, and includes a curved lower end adapted to react with the ground as the plate is driven and to cause the plate to move away from the axis of the post, promoting frictional contact between the post and the plate which results in a tight fit therebetween in the final installation.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawing and the appended claim.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a blank of sheet metal or the like from which the improved anchor plate provided by this invention is formed;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the manner in which the anchor plate is placed about the post;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the anchor plate positioned on a post, and illustrating the lower or reactive surface thereof which promotes frictional contact between the plate and post when the plate'is set;

FIG. 4 is a detail view of the reactive surface; and

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 are diagrammatic views illustrating the manner in which the anchor plate is applied to a post.

Referring to the drawing, which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention, the anchor plate is formed from a blank 10 of sheet metal preferably in the form of a trapezoid having an enlarged upper edge 12 and a shorter lower edge 14, and complementary tapered side edges 15 and 16, respectively. The central portion of the blank is traversed by a pair of spaced essentially parallel slits 18 which terminate within the blank, and which define therebetween a central strap portion 20. This blank is formed, as by pressing in a suitable die, to provide a vertically extending central portion or band 25 (FIGS. 2 and 3) which is of generally semicylindrical shape in cross-section, and the strap portion 20 is formed in the opposite direction, defining with the central band 25 a passage of generally circular cross-section vertically through the anchor plate.

Preferably during the same forming operation the uppermost edge of the strap Portion 20 and the uppermost edge of. the lower part of band 25 are flared somewhat outwardly, as shown at 26, and the longitudinal passage so formed in the blank is otherwise of slightly lesser dimension than the post to which it is to be applied. Thus, these outwardly turned edges 26 provide a guide for feeding the post through the passage so formed in the plate, and require that the plate and post be force fitted together to maintain a tight contact therebeween. Obviously, these parts and the passage formed thereby may be formed to other suitable shapes as desired by conventional methods using forming dies of different shape.

The lowermost edge 14 of the plate, particularly the outer corners 28 thereof, is curved away from the plane containing the side wings 30 which are adapted to engage the ground on opposite sides of a driven post. The curved lower portion 28 is bent to extend at an angle with respect to the vertical axis of the post 32, as seen particularly in FIGS. 3 and 4, and the curve of this reaction portion is generally between 30 and 45 with respect to the plane in which the wings 30 extend. Therefore, when the anchor plate is driven into the ground with or around a set post, the ground or earth will compress before the leading edge 28 of the plate and the reaction force resulting, extending generally in the direction of arrow 35 in FIG. 3, will tend to force the plate to proceed at an anglewith respect to the axis of the post,,promoting frictional.contact betweenthe post .and the central band or post'engagingparts25 as well as the strap 20. 'Each of the wings30 of the plate also-is preferablyformed with a corrugationor1bead37 extending top to bottom thereof. Such ahead will contribute to the strength .andrigidity ofthe. plate, and assistlinper forming itsfunction of holding the post stationary in the. ground.

Since the 'anchor plate-is driven into' the ground with considerable force, the frictional contact is sufficient to maintain the post and the anchor-plate in close contacting relation, andlthe wings'30, projecting into the ground .on opposide sides of the post willprevent movement thereof along directions transverse to the plane within which these wing portions lie, thus increasing the resistance to movement of the, post within the-ground in the directions Where loading is, or maybe, applied. For example, where the anchor plates are employed to stabilize line posts in fenc ing, the Wings 30 'will bearranged to extend generally parallel to the' fencing fabric or material, since the resistance to movement under load is required transversely to the length of the fence, and .since the fencing fabric or the'like generally will'be fastened to the line post and will prevent any substantial movement thereof in a.direction generally. parallel to the wings '30.

The anchor plate is Utilized as follows. The end of a post'32. tobe driven into theground is forced intothe plate, and the flared portions 26 assist in the entry of the post, althoughxthe central 'portion of the post, as indicated at25, and the band .20, is'formed to provide an opening somewhat less than the outer'diarneter 'of the post, as previously-explained. Therefore, there is a substantial bindingforce tending to: resistsliding of the plate along the post. The post is thendriven at the desiredsite, and if .the ground is soft enough,'as may often be the case, the anchor plate will also 'be'driven into the ground. However, 'if the resistance to driving'of the plate is too great, the plate will slip up the post.

"-If "thisshouldoccur, 'or if it"is recognized in advance that the plate cannotbe driven with the post and the plate may be positioned 'on' the post above the portion thereof which will be 'at ground level, the post may be driven to the position shown in FIG. 5. A'driving sleeve 40 (FIG. 6) isthenplaced over the post, engaging the top of the anchor plate, and force is exerted through the sleeve to drive the'anchor plate'into the ground at least until its upper edge 12 is sub'stantiallyfiush withtthe ground surface, as shown in FIG.7, or below such surface if desired.

From the foregoing description, .it will be obvious that .the present invention provides a novel post-anchor. plate which is of simple construction, adaptable to use with many different sizes and shapes of posts, and capable of rapid installation to stabilize the post against movement in predetermined directions.

While the form of apparatus herein described constitutes a preferredembodiment .of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise form of apparatus, and that changes may be made therein without departing from thescope of the invention which is defined inthe appended claim.

What is claimed is:

An anchor plate for stabilizing a post-set in the ground without supporting structure, comprising a generally fiat and rigid unitary sheet of metal, said. sheet having a band portion separated-from the remainder thereof by a pair of generally parallel slits therein extending parallel to the edge thereof adapted to form the top of the anchor plate, a central portion on said plate extending entirely transversely of said plate with respect to said slits and formed away fromthe plane. containing the main body of said sheet, said band portion between said slits being formed outwardly from the plane of therernainder of saidplate oppositely from said centralportion for reception around a post with.the post extending between said "central portion and said'iband portion, the edge of said band closest to the edge ofsaid plate forming the top thereof being flared. outwardly from theremainder of said band portion and away fromthe body of said plate and the central portion of said plate'along' the edge directly opposite the lower part of .said'band portion being flared in the opposite 'direction'providing aguide for passage of a'post between said centralportion and said band portion requiring force fitting of the. plate and a post in assembly, and'the corner .of said plate at the edge thereof opposite said aforementioned edge 'beingformed along a curve extending away from" the plane defined by'the surface of said plate to react with the ground as said plate is driven thereinto'in embracing relation with a post forcing said plate in a direction away'frorn the axis of said post to promote frictional contact between said post and the part of said plate on opposite sides thereof.

References Cited-inlthe file of this patent UNITED'STATES PATENTS 

